Biomedical subjects

R H Kahn

Publications and source records attributed to R H Kahn.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1978

Organ culture of canine prostate.

The simple life support system of organ culture contrasts sharply with the life support system in vivo. Organ culture, a technique for characterizing the effect of various substances on an organ, has potential clinical usefulness in many areas. In the present case explants of canine prostate are minimally maintained when cultivated in a medium enriched with testosterone and insulin. Pretreatment of the dog with methylprednisolone or the addition of vitamin A markedly improves the maintenance of normal structure. Methylprednisolone pretreatment and the addition of vitamin A had a significant synergistic effect. The clinical significance and implications of the findings are presented. We believe these preliminary experiments with organ culture can serve as a basis for deciphering some of the complex functions or an organ.

Animals↗

PubMed1976

Effect of testosterone on long-term organ cultures of canine prostate.

Organ cultures of rodent and human prostate glands have shown marked differences in their morphological response to testosterone. In this study, explants from 19 canine prostate glands were cultivated for a minimum of 9 days in Trowell's T-8 medium. Groups of explants were exposed to media containing from 0.05 to 100 mum testosterone. While the higher testosterone levels (50 and 100 mum) markedly decreased explant viability, explants cultivated at lower levels (0.05 to 5 mum) appeared similar to control explants in testosterone-free Trowell's T-8 medium. Atmospheric mixtures containing either 95% or 50% oxygen were equally effective. Shortly after the cultures were initiated, large amounts of secretory product were liberated into the lumen. After 9 or more days in vitro, glandular epithelium appeared cuboidal and never revealed the acid phosphatase-rich secretory granules seen in the preculture control. However, the epithelium exhibited an increase in alkaline phosphatase and lipid content following cultivation.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1975

Immunochemical staining of the rat adenohypophysis in organ culture.

Rat anterior pituitaries were cytologically studied following cultivation in organ culture, with and without the addition of hypothalamic and cortical extracts. Although five distinct cell types could be identified with classical stains in the uncultivated glands, the peroxidase-labeled antibody technique (using antibodies against STH, LTH, FSH, LH and TSH) showed that not all of the immune-specific cell types were being identified with the classical stains. This discrepancy was magnified following culture as chromophilic cells seen with classic stains decreased in number with an increase in culture time. The peroxidase technique, however, revealed that all cells remained constant in type and number regardless of time in culture. While the addition of either hypothalamic or cortical extract to the culture medium produced cytological alterations demonstrated by the classical dyes, the antibody technique showed no such alterations. Such a comparison of staining techniques emphasizes the hazards of relying solely on histological procedures to reveal the hormonal activity of the pituitary gland.

Animals↗

PubMed1975